Nearly one in twelve family physicians left or changed practices, and those reporting burnout were more likely to do so than those without burnout, according to a cross-sectional study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers analyzed 2016 to 2020 survey data from 19,929 family physicians collected by the American Board of Family Medicine and linked responses to Medicare Data on Provider Practice and Specialty files and a 20% sample of Medicare Carrier claims. Burnout was defined as reporting at least weekly feelings of being burned out from work or becoming more callous toward people.
Overall, about 44% of physicians reported burnout. Burnout prevalence was higher among female physicians than male physicians (49% vs 38%) and was similar across rural and nonrural settings and US regions.
Across practice characteristics, burnout ranged from 39% in practices with one to two physicians to 47% in practices with 200 to 499 physicians, with comparable rates across levels of patient socioeconomic status and health system affiliation.
Overall, 8% of physicians changed or left practice. In adjusted analyses, 10% of physicians reporting burnout changed or left practice compared with 7% of those without burnout.
Physicians with burnout were nearly 1.5 times more likely to leave or change practices than those without burnout.
Adjusted analyses accounted for physician demographics, practice size, geography, share of patients with low income, and health system affiliation.
Limitations included use of pre-COVID-19 survey data, inability to identify physicians who stopped seeing Medicare patients but continued practicing, and the cross-sectional design, which precluded causal inference.
Dhruv Khullar, MD, MPP, of Weill Cornell Medical College, and colleagues concluded that “family physicians with reported burnout were nearly 1.5 times more likely to leave or change practices,” adding that burnout “compromises the physician workforce stability.”
Study authors reported grants from The Physicians Foundation and other funding sources; full disclosures are available in the study.
Source: JAMA Internal Medicine
